What we thought of our feedback

Overall we thought our peer feedback was generally quite good as everyone pointed out the main features of our opening sequence.

If we did this project again we would add more of a variety of camera shots and add in some special effects were appropriate.

Group Feedback

As part of our evaluation we constructed some group feedback.

Conventions of opening sequence?

We included a title sequence, and the introduction of main characters which we think was quite effective. 

Specific genre conventions?

We included a soundtrack that is relevant to the fantasy genre, the font used in the title sequence and colour used for the font were we also thought to be specific to the fantasy genre because of the star's to dot the "i". We also tried to create an effective scene with the props and costumes which transfered to video well.

Variety and quality of camera work?

Our camerawork we thought was effective. However, some of our shots were quite long and we could of increased the variety of shots used.

Use of special effects?

As we didn’t include any special effects we couldn't comment.

Sound quality and effectiveness?

We thought our audio sync with the music-visual was good. Our audio was clear and as we didn't include any dialogue we didn't have a problem with clarity

Use of mise-en-scene?

Our mise en scene was limited but we thought it was effective for the genre of our sequence

Editing?

We thought the editing was good, crisp and smooth.

Best features?

We think that the best feature of our opening sequence was the quality of editing.

Peer Feedback

To find out if our opening sequence was of a high standard and contained all of the conventions we asked for some peer feedback. Here are the results:

Conventions of opening sequence?

Those asked commented that we included introduction of characters, title sequence and a soundtrack as well as establishing and tracking shots.

Specific genre conventions?

Those asked commented that we included a soundtrack that is relevant to the fantasy genre, the font used in the title sequence and colour used for the font were also thought to be specific to the fantasy genre as were the props and costumes.

Variety and quality of camera work?

Those asked commented that we didn’t include a variety of shots and some of the shots were too long however the shots we did include they commented that the shots conveyed realism and that the camera work was good and that the camera was kept steady throughout.

Use of special effects?

As we didn’t include any special effects there weren’t any comments for this.

Sound quality and effectiveness?

Those asked commented that the sound quality was very clear and fitted the footage really well. It was also commented that the titles appearing with the beat was a good effect.

Use of mise-en-scene?
It was commented that even though it was limited the mise-en-scene was good and suited the genre.

Editing?

It was commented that we used good transitions and they were effective.

Best features?

Those asked said that the point of view shots and the soundtrack were the best features of our opening sequence.

Final Opening Sequence: The Magician's Quest

Opening Sequence Conventions

Morals
Mood/Atmosphere - must be the overall mood & atmosphere of the film
Engage audience - instantly
Introduction of plot
Equilibrium- everything's ok
Action
Soundtrack
Credits
Outline the character personality -  of the main characters
Not always human
Builds tension - not always
Easy to follow - a must, can't jump around
Sets scene/location - the main locations
Humour - must be funny for the audience, obvious it's a joke
Shows genre - clearly, instantly
Colourful/ colour presentation

By Alex Breeze

Children's Film Characteristics

Children's films have a mix of characteristics, these are:


Quite upbeat and jolly music. 
Colourful lights, sunshine.
Outdoor/ school setting
Range of different shots
Clear the background area
Easy to understand narrative
Likable characters
PG or U certificate
Hardly any violence
No sex scenes


By Jake

Editing

For us it is essential that we edit our opening sequence correctly as we want it to have a professional finish as well as having the correct conventions in the final edit.

To begin with we created a basic edit of the film and ordered each of the clips we needed to add the transitions and credits.

Through editing our opening sequence we encountered one problem, as we lost some of our footage however we managed to find this.

In our planning stage we didn't take into consideration the credits and we lost some of our editing time as we hadn't decided on fonts and colours to use for this. Although we have found a contrasting colour to the footage and a colour that also represents the genre but isn't specific to a gender so it should appeal to both boys and girls. The font we haven chosen should appeal to children as it has got soft edges and is quite magical.

We also referred back to our storyboard so that we could stick to our original plan and make sure we used our footage in the right places although we did make some small changes to our original idea.

By Stacey Hubbard
& Jack McCurdy

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of our film is created to fit in with the genre, in order to do this effectively we needed to use the soundtrack to convey all different emotions such as danger, excitement, anger, etc. But most of all the soundtrack should be something that gets stuck in your head as with films such as 'Ghost Busters' and 'Labyrinth'.

We are in charge of making our soundtrack and should take into consideration these conventions when doing it.

By Jake and Alex

Fantasy Adventure Conventions

Our film, 'The Magician's Quest' is a fantasy adventure film. The film fits this genre as it involves events that wouldn't happen in real life although the film does begin realistically in the end the story has events that could never really happen and the main characters embark on a journey together.

Within our film opening sequence the audience are introduced to the magician who is carrying a magical stick, both of these things are identified as conventions of the fantasy genre. The audience is also introduced the 'geek' who will go on a quest set by the magician, this journey fits into the adventure genre, as in this genre one of the key conventions which is new experiences.

By Stacey Hubbard

Filming

On the first day of filming we filmed the establishing shots and the majority of our walking shots.

On the second day of filming we filmed the scenes in the learning resource centre.

On the third day of filming we filmed the final magician scenes.

By Stacey Hubbard
& Jack McCurdy

Toy Story Opening Sequence Analysis

Toy Story is one of the most iconic children’s animation films of all time, setting a benchmark for all brilliant Children’s Animations.

Toy Story opens with a scene that establishes that this is a children's film from the opening shot. The wallpaper with fluffy clouds and crisp blue sky is classic of a happy, positive children's wallpaper. Followed by the tracking shot of the boxes constructed by a child’s hands, with rough crayon drawings it is clear that the film is not going to be aimed at the mature demographic of viewers. Further conventions displayed in the initial opening sequence are the Toys that Andy uses to recreate a scene from a western. He uses toys that do not properly represent the characters that would be in a western, he mixes Bo-Peep, Aliens, a Dog and a Dinosaur into the scene, truly representative of a child’s mind and the greyness in their mind of what is possible and what is not. Another characteristic of his Toys is Woody, Andy’s hero. It is typical of children to have a favourite toy and for the child to idolise this toy and a bond is created, that can be seen in the rest of the sequence, between Andy and Woody that is not evident between Andy and his other toys.

The second part of the opening sequence is credits with a theme song overlaid. This is typical of credits, and the song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is a happy song that also relates to the visual at the same time, highlighting Andy and Woody’s friendship.

However, from this we establish that the film is only a children's film. It isn’t until the end of the sequence that we find out the secret hiding from everyone in the story, other than the toys. After Andy leaves the room Woody gets up and starts talking and moving, as he does other toys begin to move and talk, and at this point we can clearly distinguish that this is a children's fantasy film.

My analysis is based around the first four minutes of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5df-XAW3QE